A New Life
by iBuzBearII
Summary: Percy Jackson is a normal high school student from New York. Everything is normal, until one day a girl shows up, and everything changes. This is my first shot at a story, so please review and tell me how I'm doing! Rated T for possible violence in later chapters. Characters belong to Rick Riordan
1. Prologue

**So, this is my first shot at a modern AU fic with no gods, just the regular gang. One thing I wanted to say here, is that I will probably do Thalico. I know Nico is not straight, and I have nothing against people who are gay, but for some reason I find Thalico adorable. I hope you all enjoy!**

Today was a rainy overall gloomy day. Just typical that I have to walk to school here. New York City traffic is quite insane in the morning. So, here I am, walking through the miserable streets as rain seems to follow me around wherever I go, trying to make me miserable. It's funny though, something about rain always invigorates me. I love the rainy weather.

It drives my mom absolutely insane, always trying to make me wear a jacket, which I really don't need. She says she can feel the cold when I don't wear a jacket. That would be Sally Jackson, always looking after me. Not a day goes by that I'm not thankful to her. She sacrifices so much for me that I will be eternally grateful.

Enough of my personal life, I was going back to same old school. The thing I hate the most about school, besides for the fact that I tend to cause massive accidents, is the repetitivity of it. Go to school, go to periods one through seven, go home, repeat. It never changes.

Today was no different, or so I thought. Upon arriving at school, I entered the commons and waited in the corner for the bell to ring. I was also looking for my friends, as small as our group was. I looked around, and with a practiced eye, quickly spotted my small group of friends. Grover was the easy-going nature loving member of our group. He always tried to help if he could. Nico was another of my three friends. He looked like someone you did not want to mess with, someone who might be defined as _emo_ , yet anyone close to him knew that he was nothing like what he projected. And last but _certainly_ not least; Thalia, our outgoing, dangerous friend. She was very loyal to her friends though, and I consider myself lucky to be on her very small list.

I walked up to them, grinning. "Hey, guys, what's up!" I ask excitedly.

Grover looked up from his conversation with a girl that I'd never seen before. "Hey, Percy! Meet Juniper, she's a good friend of mine." He said with a blush. I instantly could tell he liked her, I was good at reading people. I looked at Juniper, and smiled. She was blushing too. _Interesting_ I thought, wondering how that'd go.

After saying hello to Juniper, I looked back to Nico and Thalia, who appeared to be very intently discussing something. "What are you two lovebirds talking about?" I teased, watching as their cheeks both started burning bright red. I let out a chuckle and instantly regretted it when Thalia punched my arm. I'm sure it looked like a teasing punch, but it _hurt._

"Shut up, Kelp Head." She warned, and I conceded defeat, I really did not want to suffer another one of those punches. Nico just grumbled and looked down. That's pretty much the normal for him.

I was about to jump back into the conversation, when the morning bell rang, signaling the beginning of the day and classes. "Bye, guys, I'll see you in Study Hall!" I called back, walking to the stairs and heading to the second floor, where my first period class was held. Geometry: I never was very good at Geometry. The worst part was that I didn't have any friends in that class either. Thankfully, the teacher, Mrs. Liegl, made it very easy to pass. I could just write down the pictures and when she went to check if we had homework turned in or not, I'd just show her that and she would mark it done.

Geometry was a very normal class today, that is to say very _boring._ I was so excited when the bell rang and I could head up to the third floor for Biology. I could do Biology much easier, and the teacher, Mr. Brandenburg was pretty awesome.

I was pretty good at Biology, so I was happy. The one thing I hated about it was that I hated pretty much everyone in the room, and he teamed me up with people I usually didn't like. Today was different though. He introduced a new girl to the class, and said she was new to Goode, our High School.

The girl herself seemed very shy, and she had blond curly hair, and beautiful gray eyes. Her name, he told us, was Annabeth Chase. I was very interested to learn more about her. Mr. Brandenburg announced that he'd be letting us do a regular lab on Inheritance, making Pedigree charts. I zoned out as he listed teams of two, and I waited patiently for my name. Eventually, he called out my name and partner. "Percy, with Annabeth." He called, nodding to me to make sure I heard.

Annabeth was clearly looking to see which one of the classmates I was, so I smiled at her and nodded, and she seemed to understand. She looked back at me with a weird look, like she was dissecting me with her eyes. It was actually kinda uncomfortable.

After roll call, I moved over to her and introduced myself. "So, you probably know, my name is Percy. Percy Jackson, for full. It's lovely to meet you, Annabeth." I said, as friendly as I could, for some reason with a blush on my cheeks

She looked down and looked quite uncomfortable. "Uh, hi Percy, it's nice to meet you too." She replied, and I wondered why she was so nervous.

"Alright, we can work over here at the lab table in the corner, that's usually where I go." I said, pointing to where we go. She nodded and grabbed her stuff, following me. As we settled in, I asked her what classes she had.

"Well, next hour I have study hall, and then English, Lunch, Geography, P.E, and Horticulture. I was shocked, as that was the same exact schedule as I had.

She must have seen the look of shock, because she suddenly looked alarmed. I hurried to explain. "Oh, nothing bad, I just have the same exact schedule, kinda cool! My friends have study hall with me next hour, you should totally sit with us!" I said, enthusiastically.

She nodded shyly, and I was hoping I could break her of that. We got to work and the class went by really fast. It turns out she was _really_ smart and once she opened up she helped a lot. I asked her if she wanted to walk with me to study hall, and she agreed. She had the same exact study hall as me, and we were lucky because we got to go to the commons where there was a lot of room and we could pretty much talk however much we wanted.

Continuing all our small talk until we reached the commons, I led her over to where we usually sat. Since Biology was basically the whole school away from the commons, I was usually the last of our group of friends to get to study hall. Today was no different, and we got to the table where Grover, Thalia, and Nico were. "Hey guys, this is Annabeth, she's new here." I said, introducing her.

She smiled weakly at them, and Thalia introduced herself first. "Awesome, now I'm not the only girl among this group of idiots! Hi, Annabeth, I'm Thalia Grace, nice to have you here." Annabeth smiled at her enthusiasm, and returned the greeting.

"Hi, Annabeth, I'm Grover! If you ever need any help, let me know!" He said, cheerfully. Annabeth nodded.

We all looked to Nico, who had his head on the table, trying to sleep. After a moment. he looked around, confused. "What?" he asked. We all groaned.

"Sorry about Nico, Annabeth, he can be a little bit of an idiot sometimes. Say _hello,_ Nico." Thalia said in a no-nonsense tone.

"Oh, hi." He said, and went back to sleeping. Annabeth started to chuckle, and I realized just how beautiful her voice was. I wanted to hear her laugh more. _Woah, calm down there._ I thought to myself, wondering why I was thinking these things.

After we all got situated, we started our usual banter and small talk and the hour went by uncoincidentally. I offered to guide Annabeth to every class, seeming as we had pretty much the same schedule, and the rest of the day went by smoothly.

After school, I asked Annabeth how she got here and where she lived. She told me she walked and she lived in an apartment that was about a five minute walk from my house. After telling her that, I offered to walk her home, and she blushed. I realized that it sounded very romantic, and I blushed myself.

"O-of course, as friends." I managed to stutter out, and she smiled and nodded. The weather seemed to improve greatly since this morning, and it was lovely outside. After a nice long conversation and walk, we finally arrived at her house.

"This one's mine." She said quietly, almost regretfully. I smiled at her and nodded. As she was walking up the sidewalk to her house, I stopped her.

"Wait, I forgot to give you my number. If you want to talk or anything, just text or call, I always have my phone on me." I said as calmly as I could, blushing. _Why the hell am I blushing so much._ I questioned myself, frustrated.

She blushed bright red, and took the little slip I wrote my number on. She gave a squeak that might have been "Ok" or "Help" I'm not really sure. She retreated into the house, and I saw her father and mother in the door before it closed.

I don't know if it was my imagination, but her father seemed to smile, gazing straight into my eyes. He seemed to ask a thousand questions with just one glance. A very intriguing man.

After another five minutes of walking, I finally made it home and crashed on the couch, after greeting my mom. _Today sure has been an interesting day._ I thought to myself.

 **IMPORTANT: READ!**

 **Ok, so obviously I was thinking about making more than a oneshot. Sorry about not uploading during the week, I've been very busy with schoolwork so the only way I can write stories is if I stay up very late. As it is, I am writing this at 11:42 PM. Anyways, I'm not sure how NY schools work, so I just modeled this after my school. Same directions, same teachers and schedule. Very cool idea, to me anyways. So, this is a prologue, I was thinking about making the next chapter in Annabeth's POV. Please, review and tell me what you think I want to know if this story deserves continuing or if I should just stick to one-shots, so reviews would help greatly in deciding! Thanks!**


	2. A Great Day

**Hey, guys! I got a few reviews last time, and they were all quite nice to me and were positive reviews, so I decided to do a chapter for Annabeth, clearing up her background a little and everything. I'm so glad that you guys enjoy it! Keep in mind, for purposes of the story, Annabeth is 15, so is Percy, Thalia, and Grover.**

As the door closed, I was all too aware of the awkward blush gracing her cheeks, as well as the questioning glance from her stepmother and the inquisitive look on my father's face. My father. Frederick, was a Professor but he also did a lot of work travelling to and exploring ancient sites, so he wasn't home very much. My mother had died when I was four, and I didn't have very many memories of her.

My father had always told me I looked just like my mother, with my blonde curls and gray eyes. He also said I got her intelligence and hunger for knowledge from he. I had always felt out of place and different. With my father, stepmother. And my two half brothers Bobby and Matthew.

My father had remarried when I was eight, to a middle-aged woman by the name of Victoria. I had mixed feelings with her. Victoria was younger than her father, for one, and Victoria had a different view on what girls should be. Victoria was raised in a family that valued conservative traditions, and so Victoria believed I should be a proper 'lady'.

Still, Victoria wasn't the worst parent, and overall I was ok with her. The thing I liked about her was that she never tried to replace my mother. I knew no one would, and Victoria accepted that. Victoria was also good for my father, he had it very hard until he met Victoria. I would always be grateful to her for helping her father.

Bobby and Matthew were both six years old, and _very_ hyper. A lot of times, I would be stuck watching them, and it got really annoying, but I knew that deep inside I loved them. Regardless of how they were related, I thought of them as brothers.

As my stepmother turned back to the kitchen, to work on dinner presumably, my father looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Who was that young man who walked you home, Annabeth?" He asked, with a curious mix of curiosity and gentle teasing.

I fought off a blush, and managed to speak. "Oh, he's a.. friend. I met him today and we have the same schedule so he offered to show me around. We also live close to him so he offered to walk me home." I could feel my face heat up from the last part.

"Ahh, sounds like a nice young man. Maybe he can come over for dinner sometime." He replied, then raised his voice so that everyone could hear him. "I'll be up in my study, I'll come down for dinner!"

I sighed. I couldn't help but feel bitter that he never spent too long talking to me, he just _had_ to work on his research. I walked to the kitchen, knowing my mother would expect me to help.

"Don't mind your father, dear, he does mean the best." My stepmother said, startling her. "Sorry if I scared you, Annabeth." She said, and I turned and could see a gleam of amusement in her eye.

"It's alright, mom. Anyways, I'm not upset with him." I argued.

"If you say so, Annabeth. And, correct me if I'm wrong, but that young man certainly seems the gentlemen. It's about time you started getting interested in nice young men."

I turned scarlet, and made an embarrassing squeaking noise. "Mom! I'm not dating him!" I said, a little too loudly.

My stepmother let out a laugh and winked at me. "If you're _sure."_ She replied, merrily. "Anyways, could you help me with dinner, Anna?" Her mother asked kindly, using my nickname. I didn't have the heart to tell her I hated the nickname Anna.

"Absolutely, Mom, but I have a lot of homework too, so can I do something that doesn't take long." My mother nodded, and pointed to the carrots. I instantly got the message, and started cutting them up.

After a nice, pleasant dinner, I headed to my room. Normally girls my age had pretty posters on the wall and silly bright colors, but I had a simple, neat and organized room. I had bookshelves filled with old books I'd read many times. I would never admit it, but I also thoroughly enjoyed writing my own stories. I also was heavily interested in architecture, so I was never sure if I wanted to study and become an author or architect.

I got my homework out, and completed my Biology and Geometry homework in about thirty minutes. As I worked on my homework, I couldn't help but be distracted by the day's events. I'd never felt so welcome in a place as I did with Percy and his friends. Thalia was so cool, and though she was very different from me, I had a feeling they'd be great friends. Grover was so sweet and caring, it amazed me, not a lot of people were like him. Nico, well he was different, but he was a softie underneath his 'hardcore' exterior. And Percy..

Percy Jackson. He was unlike anyone I'd ever met. He was so kind, and I have to admit he _was_ very handsome. His messy black hair and those sea green eyes. _Woah, where is this coming from?_ I'm not usually a romantic. I'd never really cared for the stories like Romeo and Juliet. Love seems as irrational as pain. I'd seen people destroyed by love, and it seems more like a weakness than anything.

Percy was a great friend, and I realize how lucky I am to be one of his friends. I _hate_ how I blushed around him all the time, it made me feel weak. I put my homework away and went to do my regular before-bed schedule of showering and then I fell down on my bed, pulling up my neat gray covers and dreamed of messy hair and sea green eyes.

* * *

My alarm tore me out of my very confusing dream, and I grumbled as I got up and turned the alarm off. After doing my morning routine, I headed to the kitchen and had breakfast.

I got up, and looked to my parents. "Alright, I'm gonna get headed out, bye guys!" I said, turning to the door. Her father nodded and my stepmother stood and walked with me to the door. She stopped me at the door.

"By the way, Annabeth, the young man from yesterday is waiting outside for you, he knocked on the door about fifteen minutes ago, asking if you wanted to walk with him. Enjoy!" She said, chuckling as I turned scarlet and squeaked.

I left as fast as possible, and instantly saw my mother wasn't lying. Percy Jackson stood at the front of my yard, smiling. "Good morning, Annabeth! I was hoping you'd walk to school with me, these morning walks can get boring." He told me, with that crooked grin that made my knees weak. After scolding myself mentally and walking up to him, I smiled.

"That sounds great, Percy, but my stepmother told me you were here _fifteen_ minutes ago, why so early?" I inquired, and didn't fail to notice Percy's blush.

He scratched the back of his head, messing up his hair even more. "Uh, well, I wasn't sure when you'd be leaving, so I got up extra early."

"That's sweet, Percy, but you didn't have to." I said, but still my heart warmed by the gesture.

"Right, well, I didn't have your number, so I couldn't text you.." He trailed. I felt bad, I'd totally forgotten to give him my number.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I totally forgot. I added you as a contact, let me just text you and you can get my number there!" I said, doing so, and after that was sorted, we resorted to small talk all the way to school.

After meeting up with the rest of our friends, we waited for the bell to ring. "Hey, Annabeth, how are you liking school so far?" Thalia asked, smiling at me kindly.

"Oh, it's alright. The library is _great_ and the teacher's are mostly alright." I replied, matching her smile.

Thalia grinned and turned back to Nico, engaging him in a conversation. I looked over to see Grover talking with Juniper, and Percy looking uncomfortably alone. "Does everyone in our group have crushes on each other or something." I asked, a little too loudly missing the warning sign in Percy's eyes. Instantly, Grover, Juniper, Thalia, and Nico looked at me. They were all scarlet, and it was almost comical.

Grover said something that was unintelligible and Juniper squeaked. Thalia glared and Nico just grumbled and laid his heads down on his hands. I instantly felt contrite and realized I may have just ruined the one chance I had at having a group of friends. I hated myself as I felt tears at the corner of my eyes and turned around before anyone could see it.

"I'm so sorry." I managed to say, and just then the ball rang. I took the opportunity to grab my stuff and run as fast as I could to first hour, which was Career Tech, which no one in my group had.

I quietly did the work required, dreading second hour which I shared with Percy. I pulled my phone out since I was finished with work and was bored waiting for the hour to end. I saw a text from Percy and I really was scared to open it. ( **AN: Percy's texts will be Italic and Annabeth's will be bolded)**

 _Hey, Annabeth, why did you run off? Thalia feels bad, she thinks she scared you off._

 **I'm sorry, Percy, I always say the wrong things, that's why I don't have friends, I understand why you guys don't want me to be your friend.**

 _Are you kidding me? That's not at a problem. We're worried about you, they don't care that you embarrassed them. It's all fun and games here._

I was too shocked for words, which was a good thing because the bell rang and I headed to Biology. Mr. Brandenburg assigned us to the same groups as yesterday to finish our homework on Pedigrees. I had finished the work yesterday, so we have the hour to talk.

"Annabeth, are you alright?" Percy asked, I could feel the concern radiating off of him and I wanted to cry again, of joy.

"Yes, I'm alright, the thing is.. In my old schools, I never had friends because I can't keep my mouth shut, I always say things that people don't like." I replied, sadly.

"That's alright, Annabeth, we're totally cool! Honestly, we like to tease each other anyways!" Percy replied, and I felt so happy. I hugged him, which was an unplanned event, and I shot back turning bright red. He did the same, and I laughed.

After Biology, we headed down to the commons for study hall, and I talked to the group. "I'm so sorry I said that, guys, I tend to talk without thinking first a lot."

Grover smiled. "No problem at all, Annabeth!" I returned the smile shyly.

"Yeah, we're cool, but don't think I'm not gonna get you back for that comment, Annabeth!" Thalia replied, teasingly, but with a hint of seriousness at the end. I wondered just waht she was gonna do.

Nico, as usual, did nothing but try and sleep. We went on with the rest of the hour normally, and I've never felt more welcome. I had a feeling that today was going to be a great day.


	3. Wise Girl and Seaweed Brain

It had been about a month since Annabeth had joined our group, and she was really opening up. She has to be one of the most intriguing people I've ever met. I can't help but notice how her intelligent gray eyes shine when she talks about architecture or literature, and how beautiful her smile is. I find myself doing weird things to try and get her to smile.

Today, she did something that had was very rare and hard to accomplish: she made me go to the library with her. Normally, I avoid the library like the plague. It's just too much for me. Not only do I get really bad headaches when I try to read, but I find reading such a bore. However, today when she turned her eyes on me in a pleading fashion, I was easily defeated.

So, there I am, in the middle of the library at lunch, when I would normally be eating. She is talking excitedly about our English II project, an essay on _To Kill a Mockingbird._ I don't know how she can be excited about an _essay._ However, she is, and I can't help but nod and smile at her, she has no idea how cute she is when she rambles.

 _Woah, calm down._ I tell myself. I've been thinking really weird things lately, nothing normal. Sure, she's a pretty girl. Hell, beautiful, but she's not my type. She's smart and I'm.. well.. Me. She'd never like a guy like me. Anyways, she drags me over to a table in the corner of the library, and tells me she will be right back.

As she walks away, I find myself staring at her retreating form. As I realize what I'm doing, my face heats up, and I instantly snap my head to the opposite direction. That's how an old friend, Piper, finds me. Piper isn't a part of our group because she didn't really fit in, but she's still really good friends with me.

"Hey, Percy! What are you doing in here?" She exclaims, plopping down next to me. She looks at me for a second, and she sees the blush on my face. "And why is your face red?"

I groan. "You really ask a lot of questions, you know that?" I reply putting my face in my hands. She chuckles, and stares at me pointedly.

"You didn't answer me." She says. _She really won't let this drop?_ I ask myself, than answer.

"I'm here because my friend wanted to bring me here and help me with my essay in English." I reply, hoping she doesn't realize that I didn't answer her second question. The plan worked.

"Aww, who's your new friend? It's not every day you become friends with someone." She replies, smiling. At that moment, Annabeth returned with a stack of books, and set them down, smiling shyly at Piper.

"That would be me." She said in that small voice she uses when she meets new people. Some people might find it annoying, but I just find it cute. _Stop it!_ I hush myself, and look introduce them.

"Annabeth, this is Piper, Piper, this is Annabeth." I said, and Annabeth went to shake her hand. Piper ignored the gesture, and pulled her in a big hug. Annabeth looked like a turtle who wanted so badly to hid in it's shell. I couldn't help but snigger at her.

When Piper let go of Annabeth, Annabeth hit me right on the arm, _hard._ "Ow, jeez, Annabeth! Has Thalia been giving you hitting lessons?" I asked, in a playful hurt tone.

"You are insufferable. Hi, Piper, nice to meet you." Annabeth responds, smiling now. Piper returned the smile.

"Hi! You're already awesome if you can get Percy here into the library." Piper exclaimed excitedly.

"It _was_ pretty hard, I admit. I basically had to drag her. Now, if you don't mind me, I'm gonna go check out this book for a extra credit reading project I'm doing." Annabeth said, stepping away with her book.

Piper turned back to me, and I could sense trouble. Piper had this thing where she just _had_ to play matchmaker, and she'd tried so long to get me to go out with someone. "Percy Jackson! You like her don't you, that's why you were blushing!" She whispered harshly.

I'm sure I turned a brilliant shade of red, and I definitely stuttered embarrassingly.

"You do! Oh this is perfect. Of everyone, you fall for Wise Girl!" She said, inventing a new nickname on the spot that I decided I quite liked.

"No! I do not! I do not _like_ anyone, I'm not interested in relationships right now, thank you very much!' I responded with as much dignity as I could muster. _Lord this is embarrassing._ I thought, putting my face back in my hands.

"Sure, sure. Mark my words, you _like_ her!" Piper was clearly unconvinced. Before she could say anything else, Annabeth returned.

"Hey, Wise Girl, welcome back." I said, changing the subject and enjoying the reaction I got. She looked torn between confusion and anger.

"Wise Girl? What are you talking about?" She managed to ask in a dignified tone.

"Well, Piper seems to have come up with a new nickname for you! I like it!" I replied, laughing.

"Fine.. Seaweed Brain!" She replied, and I had to give her credit for the quick comeback in the nickname contest.

"Seaweed Brain? That's terrible." I chuckled. "Where did you get that?"

"Well.. you told me you like the Sea, and you obvious don't have brains, so your head must be stuffed with seaweed!" She replied, in a victorious tone.

"I see how it is, Wise Girl, I see how it is." I said, smiling. Just as she opened her mouth to reply, the bell rang, signifying it was time to head to Geography. Piper smiled and said bye, leaving to go to her class.

* * *

After school, we walked back to her house together, as had become our ritual. At her gate, I smiled, waving her goodbye. I smiled at her father, who was staring out the window from what I assumed to be the Living room. He was always doing that, and it made me quite nervous for some strange reason.

Annabeth has been a godsend, really. My work had already improved in all my classes, and honestly she already one of his best friends. It was weird, because they were so different. She was the smart girl with perfect grades, and he was the troublemaker with average to below average grades.

She really was a great friend, though, and he couldn't help but enjoy seeing her, talking to her. All the small things.

I entered my house, greeting my mom who was waiting in the kitchen. She gave me a curious look, like she was trying to read my mind. Annabeth looked like that all the time.

"You look like you're thinking about a girl. Anything you need to tell me about, Percy?" She smiled, teasingly.

"What! No, mom!" I replied, my face instantly heating up. If this happened any more, I'd _die._ My face would _explode._

My mom let out a laugh. When she finished making fun of me, she told me when dinner would be done, hugged me, and told me to remember my homework.

"Like Annabeth would let me forget." I muttered, and instantly realized my slip up. I hoped she hadn't caught it, but by the look in her eyes she had.

"Ahh, Annabeth is it? Sounds like a nice girl. Some advice, Percy, don't let her get away." She said, and I wanted to argue, but I saw such a serious and sad look in her eyes. The kind of look she got when she was thinking of dad.

I nodded, and she winked at me, and went back into the kitchen. I was left to think about Annabeth. Wise Girl. What an interesting person.

I sat down, started working on my English project, when my phone went off. I picked it up.

 **Hey, Seaweed Brain, don't forget to do your homework!**

 **Alright, guys, I know that one was shorter, but I have testing tomorrow and I don't want to sleep in, and I was in a writing mood. And I know that what I put in the library was a little perverted, but as a male 15 year old, and I've modeled Percy and Annabeth after 15 year olds, it's just what goes on in our minds sometimes, and it was a good way of expressing Percy's attraction to her. I made Piper a little OOC, but she's important to the story as she is. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, let me know what you think in the reviews! Have a great day/night, depending on where you are!**


	4. Nico's Past

**Ok, so I decided to do something different here, and this chapter will be a Nico POV. I'm not sure if it'll turn out well, I wasn't really planning it but the sudden inspiration hit me and I decided why the hell not. Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy!**

It's amazing how dark clothes and a quiet personality can really change people's perspectives. I used to be the expressive kid, who enjoyed reading and sharing my personal life. I was bullied pretty badly and called the typical childhood insults like "nerd" or "freak" but really, I didn't mind. I enjoyed the titles. It showed I was better. The pen truly is stronger than the sword.

But it all stopped when she died. I look back now, and I remember the change. It doesn't hurt as much, but I still miss her. After she died, my father turned all of his attention on me. I was so pressured, I grew depressed. I still am to this point, hell, I call it realism.

Nobody lives forever, and life is just a game that you're made to lose. Nobody good wins. Start out with a good intention; end in failure. I still live it, though, why not. I play the game. My father hates me, because I hate being rich. He wants me to take over the corporation after he dies. Underworld Mining.

I don't want it. I never did, _she_ was supposed to get it. She was father's pride and joy. And now she's dead. That's life, I suppose. So, I became the quiet kid who wore dark clothes and slept in class. Father is already disappointed in me, why give him any reason _not_ to be? He blames me for her death, so why should I go out of my way to please him? I hate him.

It might seem harsh, but it's the dead truth. He cares about business, and politics. That's about it. He never cared about her as a daughter, just as a tool to help his business dynasty go on.

My life was pretty bland after that. The repetition: Go to school, do classes, go home, eat, sleep, repeat. But then, I met Percy.

I'm very good at reading people. It's a trait that my father loves, says it's good business. I hate it for that fact, yet it's not something I can stop. Percy is a wonderful human. He's one of the rare few who really care. He talked to me for days, even though I didn't even respond. He never stopped, till eventually he told a joke, and I smiled. It had been about a year and a half since I'd last smiled, and I myself was shocked. After that, we became best friends.

But, as I said, I can read people. Something happened in Percy's past that hurt him. Very badly. I can't say how I know, but it's there.

He introduced me to his friend, Grover, and his cousin, Thalia.

Grover is another of the rare people. He's the classic vegetarian who loves nature. I feel bad for the guy, meat is pretty good.

And Thalia. She is a hard thing for me to talk about. Her intense lightning blue eyes, with her dark hair, and punk personality.

She's beautiful, that I admit. Yet, love is such a destructive force. People say love is the most powerful force on earth: they're right. Love is devastating. It makes men do things they would _never_ do otherwise, like the Trojan War. It almost never ends happily, and to love someone you have to open up.

I'm not saying I love her, but I'm no idiot, nor a vain man, I'm attracted to her. How could I not be, she's absolutely gorgeous.

And, our newest addition to the gang: Annabeth. She is interesting. She's very shy, but she obviously likes Percy. Which is incredibly annoying, because Percy obviously likes her. Everyone knows it but them, apparently.

Annabeth too, though, has had something happen to her. Something dark, that much I can see in her eyes. They have that intense curiosity, but also the intense pain. They are quite similar to my eyes, I would imagine.

It's none of my business, though, I have no intentions of asking or finding out, unless they tell me themselves.

So, that brings me to today, in Study hall, in the commons. Sitting with the gang. It's amazing how many people think you aren't listening if your head is down.

I head Percy whispering to Annabeth. "Hey, Wise Girl, what are you working on?"

I snorted and didn't even look up. "Already onto nicknames are we? Why not just admit it already and kiss each other." I questioned. I almost laughed. Percy's head shot up, his eyes wide and face turning crimson. Annabeth squeaked and I'm not really sure what it was she said.

I spared them the trouble and just put my head back down, pretending to go back to sleep. Thalia returned after that, and saw them both in their current states, brilliantly asked what was going on.

"Uh, n-nothing!" Annabeth said, and Thalia just grinned and shared a knowing look. I can't help but stare at her, she's so beautiful. Annabeth looked at me.

"Hey, hypocrite, I can see you undress Thalia with your eyes!" She replied, and I had to give her credit for that catch.

Thalia turned red and glared at me. "What were you doing?" She demanded.

I smiled at her and replied, nonchalant. "Oh, I was undressing you with my eyes."

She hit me, _hard._ I felt bad for Percy. "Pervert!" She said, huffing as she sat down. She did have a light blush though, and that fact didn't go unnoticed by Percy.

"Hey, don't hit the guy, from what I can tell you like it!" He said, grinning. Thalia glared her death glare at him.

"Do you want to _die?"_ she asked, and I chuckled. Instantly, everyone looked at me. _Oh, shit._ I thought. I _don't_ laugh. I never laugh. As I let out my repertoire of curses in my head, Percy smiled.

"For once, he laughs." He commented, and I glared.

"I laugh." I justified, and they all shook their heads.

"No, really you don't, Nico. I've been with you guys for a month and a half and this is the first time you have laughed." Annabeth commented, and I layed my head back down.

"Yeah, I'm human, what about it?" I challenged, and everyone went back to their own thing.

One thing is for sure; Thalia is a special one to make me laugh. Maybe I should just open up.

 **Okay, so I know that this was short, but honestly I just wanted to express Nico's past, and I think this does it pretty wall. Sorry if this is dark, I tend to get like that sometimes.**


	5. Meeting the Parents

I was nervous. I admit, I was completely, totally nervous. Which was strange, because I shouldn't be, at all. I have gone over for dinner with other people before, why was this so different? _Annabeth_. I know deep in my heart that it's Annabeth. Her parents and Sally had hit it off, and they had invited Sally over for dinner.

I have always heard that meeting a girl's parents is weird, and nerve-racking. I always scoffed, thought ' _Well, hell, it's just meeting new people, how can that hurt?'_ I really did think that, but now that I'm doing it, I can say right now it's scary as hell.

The absolute worst part is that I have no idea why. It's not like they're going to kill me or something. I just want so badly to impress her parents. So, here I am, getting ready for a dinner party. Trying not to experience some kind of nervous-induced fatality. I even dress well, which _never_ happens. My mother is constantly making jokes to me about it.

I check my phone, and it's about time to go. I text Annabeth telling her I'm on my way, and walk to the living room and call out. "Mom, it's time to go!"

After about a minute, she comes down from upstairs, smiling at me. "Excited to see your girlfriend, Percy?" she winks.

The first time she did that, I almost _died,_ but luckily enough I'd gotten used to it. At least, enough to where I only had a _light_ blush. "Look, mom, she's not my girlfriend!" I growled.

She just laughed and led me out of the house, to the car. I was getting really annoyed about my mother calling Annabeth my girlfriend, but I also can't argue with it. I can't lie to myself anymore, I definitely have a crush on Annabeth. The problem is, I know I can never have her, she's too much my opposite.

She's so smart, and she has really good grades. Not to mention she's beautiful. Me, I'm a normal normal, average grade guy, who looks normal. It's sad, but I'm content to be friends with her. As our car pulled up to Annabeth's house, I couldn't help but smile. I never seemed to tire of talking with her, or seeing her.

Of course, my mother noticed it, and she just grinned at me. I could feel the blush growing on my cheeks and I wanted to hit something. _Why am I always blushing!_ I question myself. No matter, we're here. I get out of the car with my mom, and my mother walks with me up to the door and knocks.

I smile as Annabeth's father, Frederick, answered the door with a smile. I'd gotten to know him a little bit, and he's a kind-hearted man. He is a very inquisitive man who can be easily sidetracked. I knew how that felt.

"Sally! Percy! Welcome, welcome, it's so great to have you here." Frederick graciously welcomed us in, and I couldn't help but grin at his eagerness.

"Thank you, Frederick, I'm so happy to be here!" Sally replied and stepped in.

As I entered the living room, the first thing I noticed was the twins, running around the couch playing some game or other, while their mother, Victoria, admonished them. I'm not really sure about Victoria, she seemed nice enough, but I don't really like how 'proper' she is.

Anyways, the next thing I notice, is Annabeth. She had just walked out of the kitchen when I walked into the living room. She was wearing a nice dress and her hair was done, which was rare for her. I liked it. She also had managed to get a little smidge of flour on her cheek. I'm not sure how it happened, but I knew I had to tease her for it.

"Hey, Annabeth! Nice to see you. You look nice." I said, and instantly could feel a blush flaring up. _Oh god, why did I say that?_ I asked myself, and I knew the answer: I was telling the truth. Annabeth turned crimson, and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Y-you look good too, Percy." Annabeth replied with a shy smile. I smiled back at her.

"Hey, did you know that you have a bit of flour on your face? I'm not sure if that's the latest fashion or not but I thought you might want to know." I teased. Annabeth's eyes went wide and her face got even redder, before she reached up and wiped off the flour. I chuckled at her, and she glared at me.

I noticed that the parents were looking at us. I awkwardly walked to them with Annabeth, and we all made small talk. I couldn't help but noticed just how beautiful Annabeth was in that dress. I felt my heart hurt for her, because I knew she would never be mine. Could I really live with that?

My thinking was cut short by the food being finished, and we all sat down to the table. Annabeth's brothers, Bobby and Matthew, interested me. They were so like me, normal, average kids. But really, they were fun to talk to. I found it so easy to talk to Annabeth and her family.

* * *

After dinner, Annabeth went upstairs to try and do the impossible: get Bobby and Matthew to sleep. Victoria and Sally went to talk privately, so it was just me and Frederick. He looked at me like the first look Annabeth gave me: analytic. It felt like he was dissecting me with his eyes.

After a minute, he bluntly spoke. "You like my daughter." The thing that confused me the most was I wasn't sure whether he was telling me or asking me. I quickly thought of what to say, but in the end I couldn't like.

I looked down and nodded. "Yes, sir. How could I not?"

I did _not_ expect him to let out a bark of laughter. I was shocked. My head shot up, and he grinned at me. "You make a good point, Percy. I know exactly how you feel." To say I was dumbfounded would be an understatement.

"That girl has me wrapped around her finger, Percy, I love her so much. You can see why I want her to be happy." He reasoned, and I understood and nodded.

"I can tell she likes you, son, so I wanted to meet you and your mother. I'm satisfied. I think she deserves a good boy after last-" He abruptly cut off.

So many thoughts were running through my head. _Annabeth likes me? What was he trying to say when he cut off?_ I was so confused.

"Anyways, you have my blessing to see her, but you will be a gentleman and if I hear otherwise so help me god I will hurt you." He said, and I gulped.

"Yes, sir." I managed to get out, and he smiled.

"Call me Frederick."

 **I quite enjoyed this one, and I'm sorry if the time skips are quite weird, this idea just popped into my head. This is roughly a week after chapter 2. Thanks for reading, and as always** _ **please**_ **review, I love getting the feedback! I hope you enjoyed, and I'm sorry it's short, but I really should finish my geometry project.**


	6. To Play and To Win

I couldn't help but feel super excited. My father invited Percy and his mother, Sally to come over for dinner. It was weird, because I don't usually care, but I was trying my best to get ready for tonight. I was currently in my room, actually trying to look good for once.

About halfway into organizing all my clothes and trying to decide what to wear today, I realized that I was trying to look good. _For Percy,_ my traitorous mind admitted, but I know he'd never like me, it was doomed. My logical half demanded I cease the stupidity that is having a crush. I mean, I've never cared for love, It just winds up hurting you. _Like him._ My mind spoke again.

Damnit, I hate my mind. I shook off the thoughts of him and kept changing. I finally found the perfect dress. I remember Percy telling me about how he loved to go up to Montauk, to visit to see. I just happened to have a sea-green modest dress that my stepmother bought for me a few months ago. It fit great still. I'd have to thank my stepmother later.

I even worked on my hair and let my stepmother get it done. I never do that, so I kinda confused myself.

I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where my stepmother was working. "Hey, Annabeth, can you help me? Just mix this, please. You look great, by the way! Don't ruin your dress!"

I worked quickly, and we got into a groove. We cooked very well together, and I actually enjoyed cooking with her. She started talking to me, and at first it was small talk to occupy us as we worked. Abruptly, though, she asked me something that shocked me.

"So, how long have you had a crush on Percy?" The way she asked was so.. Blunt that I couldn't even respond for a long moment. I stuttered so badly that she started to laugh. I'm pretty sure I got flour on me. My stepmother started laughing and I managed to get my voice back.

"Look, I don't _like_ him, mom! I like him as a friend sure, but that's it!" I growled, and my stepmother only laughed harder.

"Sure, sure, Annabeth, but you know he likes you too. I see it in his eyes every time he drops you off. Also, you might want to get that flour off your face." She winked at me and left the room. I stood in shock for a few minutes, before checking in a mirror and confirming I did have flour on my face. I frantically cleared it and heard a knock on the door. I ran into the living room after my mother to see Percy.

He looked good. No, great. He dressed up well, which he never does, but I hope he does it more! The twins were running around playing while my stepmother yelled at them. Percy's eyes then turned to me, and I felt weak at the knees. He smiled at me.

"Hey, Annabeth. Nice to see you, you look nice." I could feel myself blushing, but at least he was as well. I cannot believe he said that!

"Y-you look good too, Percy." I managed to reply with a weak smile.

"Hey, did you know that you have a bit of flour on your face? I'm not sure if that's the latest fashion or not but I thought you might like to know." Percy smiled at me in a teasing way, and I could feel my eyes go wide. I could feel my face heat up even _more,_ and I felt like I was going to die. I scrubbed it off and glared at him.

After a moment, though, I noticed my parents were staring. We awkwardly went over to them and started to socialize. Percy was so great. Even I had to admit that I knew I liked him. _You know he likes you too. I see it in his eyes every time he drops you off._ I remembered what my stepmother said. Was it possible? I didn't think so. We were so _different._ I loved reading, he couldn't read with his dyslexia. I'm smart, he's not as smart. I don't know.

I'd like to think it's possible though. I'll have to talk to someone. After dinner, I was sent to put the twins to bed, so I did that. Amazingly, it only took a few minutes. After that, I finally decided what to do. I got out my phone, and I texted Thalia. If anyone could talk about this, it'd be her. I asked her if it was ok to call. She said yeah she wasn't doing anything, so I called.

"Hey, Annabeth. What's up?" Thalia asked, sounding confused.

"Well.. I wanted to talk to you about something. But you can't tell _anyone._ At all!" I said harshly. Thalia chuckled.

"Sure, why not. Shoot." I liked that about her. She was direct and to the point.

"I think.. I think I like Percy. Like, _like_ like." I said, and there was silence. I started to get nervous, when Thalia started laughing.

"Took you a while didn't it? My lord, I thought you would _never_ admit it! Percy's probably the same!" I was shocked. Was it that obvious?

"Well, I have something to do, so I'm going to go, but I think you and Percy together will be great. This is gonna be fun." With that, the call ended. I wonder if I should just tell Percy. I wonder if I should let him in.

Honestly, if I was normal, I'd have asked him a _long_ time ago. But I'm not normal. After last time.. After _him._ I don't think I'll ever be normal again. I don't think I can open up, not really. I built such strong walls.

I wanted to though. I knew that now. As I went to go downstairs, I ran into my stepmother.

"I'm still waiting for you to admit it. Annabeth" my stepmother said to me as I was walking down the stairs. I sighed and turned to her.

"I do. I want to, anyways." I said, and to my horrible embarrassment, I could feel a tear rolling down my cheek.

"Annabeth, you can't let that get to you anymore. If you do, he wins! You have to fight. I know you can. Hell, you're a fighter. Don't let him win." She said, harshly, and I looked up, eyes wide. My stepmother wasn't usually this strict and demanding on her points.

"But.. It hurts!" With that, the dam I'd built broke. The shields were shattered, and I could feel the onslaught of tears that I'd fought to hold back for so long. It's only logical that if two forces push against each other, one will yield. As I started to sob, my stepmother pulled me into a hug.

I cried onto her shoulder for so long. I cried and I cried. My mother was there for it all. _I just thought of her as mother.. Well, she is. I can't keep calling her stepmother. She is what I have. I have a mother and a father. I have a family. And she's right, I cannot let him win!_ I felt my resolve hardening. I stopped crying. I looked her in the eye.

"You're right. And this time, I'm going to _win!"_

 **Woo, and that's chapter 6 done. Sorry I haven't uploaded much this week, between having to do Geometry and Biology testing, and having 4 cavities drilled and filled, I've been pretty busy. However, now I'm on Spring Break, and I have a lot of time on my hands, so updates will be more common. As always, review and let me know what you think, and have a great day!**


	7. Update NOT A CHAPTER

I know it's not really necessary to do this, but every time I feel like I'm taking too long to write I feel bad. I like to update a lot but I've been very busy socially this weekend and I've not had the time to just lock myself in my room and write away for a while. I'm planning on updating this either tomorrow or the day after at most, and frequently through the week after that.

Thanks you all for reading and reviewing, it really means a lot to me!

-iBuzBearII


	8. To be what you are not

Everyone is scared of me. At least, everyone who isn't my friends. I act tough, wear punk-style clothes, and bang, I'm a punk. It's so easy to slip into a persona, to be what you are not. Everyone eats it up, and I'm a loner. No one ever messed with me, ever.

I used to part the crowd as I walked in the hallways. Got in a few fights, disappointed my father greatly. Not that I give a damn. All he wanted me to be was a pretty, dressed up photo-op. When he realized that was _exactly_ the opposite of what I was going to do, he tried to ignore me and focused on making my brother perfect.

My family is pretty messed up. My father is a Senator from New York. A very prestigious title, and I suppose I should be proud, but I hate it. All it means is he does nothing but work and spares me no time. After he realized I wasn't interested in politics and wouldn't be useful to him, he decided to start working with my brother.

Literally, no one in the school knows me and Jason, my brother, are related. He is perfect pretty blond boy with perfect manners and grades, and I'm the punk who gets in fights and has poor grades.

So, I went through school and life alone for a large portion of my life. But, a while back, I met Percy. He was annoying, because he was the only person who managed to see passed my rough exterior.

After a while, he convinced me not to be a loner anymore. As much as I liked the loner life, having friends is pretty great. After befriending Percy, I also met Grover and Nico.

Grover is a great friend and person. He's dating a freshman girl named Juniper, who is also a very sweet girl. Nico, on the other hand, has caused me so much frustration I can't even begin to explain.

Well, I suppose I can, because I'm doing that now. I'm an idiot. Nico is a very quiet person. He's tall and lean. His hair is always a mess, which I find cute. And that's another thing, he always managed to confuse me. He is cute, I can see that, but I never blushed. Never was interested in guys. Now, though, he makes me reconsider.

Most people would gawk at me and call me an idiot. All he ever does is sleep and complain, they'd say. And they'd be wrong. Nico rarely sleeps. He always looks tired, and that's how I can tell. He's like me, I imagine. I can see that he has trouble sleeping, and I doubt he really sleeps when he puts his head down.

He listens. When I was a loner, all I did was listen. It's amazing how people don't notice you if you're reading or 'sleeping'. Nico is not a very expressive person. I tried for so long to get him to answer me, to open up and talk. At least to show me his thoughts. I can read most people's faces, but not his.

Yet, I know where to read. Nico doesn't have any tells, except his eyes. Those deep, black eyes. Most people would think them unanswering, with their dark color, but I can understand him. It hurts me to look in his eyes, because they're so sad. His eyes show such a deep tragedy in them, that I just want to hug him.

Not that I'd ever do that, that'd be mortifying. Regardless of what people think, Nico is hot in a scrawny way. He definitely should eat more.

Today I was stayed after school. I had to serve a detention with my English teacher because I didn't do an essay. It was stupid, anyways, who cares about Julius Caesar? The guy lived like 2000 years ago. Anyways, I went down the stairs and into the gym, where a shortcut to get out of the school is, but I saw something that shocked me.

There were about ten people there, at the gym, practicing fencing. Usually, if I stayed after school, I just ignored them, they weren't really that interesting, I mean who spars with swords nowadays. But today, I saw something that made me stop.

Nico Di'Angelo was in a ring with another student, and they were sparring. I never knew that he was into swords, but it was intriguing to watch. They were obviously two of the best people there, as the spar they were doing was insanely fast-paced. After about five minutes, Nico disarmed the other kid and touched his wooden stick to the boys neck.

"Well fought." Nico remarked, and the boy who lost nodded and picked up his sword.

"Alright, that's enough for today, well done you two, you're all dismissed." The instructor said, and walked out without another word. Everyone got ready, and I was still shocked. I couldn't believe Nico fought with swords. And he looked _good_ doing it.

"Enjoy the show, Thalia?" I heard and my head shot up. Nico was standing right infront me me, grinning. _Grinning!_ That might seem like something that is normal, but not for him. I could feel my cheeks heat up and I fought it down.

"Hey, I was just serving detention and was leaving. I had _no_ idea you did fencing, and you're so good at it too!" I gushed. I hated myself for rambling but something about Nico made me do that.

He smiled at me and nodded. "Yeah, I love it. It really helps take my mind off things and it's very satisfying when I manage to win. I've been doing it for about two years now."

"It's impressive. Well.. I should probably go. Have a good day." I said, smiling. He looked at me for a second, like he was deep in thought, then smiled again.

"Can I walk you home?" He asked, and I felt my heart start to speed up. I'd love to have him walk me home, but my father would have questions, and he might even try to talk to Nico.

Nico must've taken my indecision as a no, and gave me a small sad smile. "It's alright, I understand." He said, and turned to walk off.

"N-no, I didn't say no, you can walk me!" I said, probably too fast. He turned to me with a crooked grin that looked so _right_ on his face.

"Alright, if you say so. Where do you live?" He questioned, and I told him. He walked me home, it was about a ten minute walk, and after we got there, he smiled at me once more.

"You know, it's easy to change personalities. Wear dark clothes, pretend to sleep a lot, and suddenly you're emo. I know you do it to, Thalia. Playing the punk loner girl who is so fierce. I can see through it. With me, you do not have to be what you are not." He said, and my eyes widened. I went to say something, but he was on a roll.

"I think we all need someone who we can open up to. I'm not really dark, like you just saw today. I don't think you like being a loner as much as you say you do. I want to be your person, if you'll be mine. Open up, Thalia." He said gently, and I almost cried.

"Nico.. It's just.. My life has been hard. My father hates me because I don't want to be his personal photo-op, my brother doesn't give me a second look, and my mother died when I was six. I wanted the world to see I was tough. That I wouldn't back down." I felt my embarrassment slip away, and I rolled on, telling him all my worries and fears. All except one: that I had a crush on him. I couldn't tell him that, not yet.

"Thank you, Thalia. I understand, really I do. My father is a businessman who deals with mining but he also has a bit of politics in him. He doesn't really care about me, because I don't want to work with him. I don't want to take over the company. When I was eight, my mother died. A year later, my sister also died. I didn't talk to anyone else but my sister. She was.. My only friend. My best friend. Now, she's dead. " he responded, and I felt my eyes widen in horror. How could I complain when his live was so much worse?

'Nico.. I know you don't want pity, but I really am sorry." I told him quietly, and he nodded.

"Thank you, Thalia. This really has taken a load off my back. I feel so much better. Well, you're here, so I should probably stop taking up so much time. Bye." He said, smiling at me, and I felt a tear escape my eye. I had never opened up to anyone like this, and it was a big deal.

He looked at me sorrowfully, before smiling again and kissing my cheek. I think I just about _died_ from embarrassment, and my cheeks were on fire. He waved, and walked away without another word.

To be what you are not.. Maybe that isn't such a good idea.

 **Ok guys, that was a pretty good one. Or at least I think so. I didn't intend to write a big one, but It just kinda started flowing. I know I made Thalia a bit OOC but it fits in this story. I'm so happy with how well this story is doing, breaking 1k views and 16 reviews. Thank you all for the support, as always, I hope you enjoyed, tell me what you think in the reviews, and have a great day!**


	9. Another Update

So so so sorry about the lack of updating lately, the back-end of Spring Break I was mostly playing Dragon Age: Inquisition (which is _awesome_ by the way.)

Anyways, yeah, sorry about that. I won't be able to upload until like Thursday or Friday, but I promise I will have one up then.

Feel free to hate me.

-iBuzBearII


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